Sergeant Jo Curyer in front of Sefton Park Plaza

Sefton Park Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) Police Coordinator Sergeant Jo Curyer has dedicated much of her career to crime prevention.

Sergeant Curyer has been involved in South Australia’s NHW program for more than 30 years, first joining the Lockleys NHW Area as the Police Coordinator in the early ‘90s. From the beginning, she has always prioritised proactive crime prevention.

“I joined the Lockleys group because I had a bit of a vested interest because it was the area I was living in, but also, it was a chance for me to have a proactive impact on the safety and security of the area I was living in,” she said.

“I was already in crime prevention, so I figured I would have good knowledge and insight to help my community.”

Sergeant Curyer’s favourite contribution to the Lockleys NHW Area was applying for and receiving a grant to paint numbers onto the curbs of homes in her area. This allows for emergency services to quickly locate whoever is in need.

Later on in her career, Sergeant Curyer’s crime prevention role meant she played a significant role in other NHW groups, both established and emerging.

“Quite often I’d be filling in for other groups, attending meetings and such… I also had a big role in launching new groups,” she said.

Sergeant Curyer soon found herself as the Police Coordinator for both the Clearview and Sefton Park NHW Areas. She has remained with Sefton Park for 15 years.

“We would use the shopping centre as a location to educate the community about securing their vehicles,” Sergeant Curyer said. “I feel like it had a big impact in evaluating the safety and improving the peace of mind of my community.”

Sergeant Curyer has supported Sefton Park with two successful NHW grants over the years. Last year the group won a NHW SA 40^th anniversary grant and was able to purchase personal alarms for vulnerable people.

One of Sergeant Curyer’s favourite crime prevention initiatives was providing security audits for victims of break ins in her local area. “I would contact the victims and arrange for their audits all in my own time.”

Sergeant Curyer has never felt burdened by her NHW role.

“I have the capacity and want to help people - that makes it an easy task,” she said.

“When you join the police, you want to help the community and NHW is doing that at the grass roots.”

Sergeant Curyer has seen excellent displays of community connection because of NHW. The Sefton Park Area Coordinator often picks people up for their meetings if they can’t get there themselves.

“The community spirit is incredible,” she said.

“It’s all linked - by providing our support and resources to the community, crime is reduced and, as a result, things are easier for everyone.”